Byron announces 2024 Hall of Fame class

The Byron High School Athletic Hall of Fame will induct five new members and recognize a special team at their Sept. 21 Hall of Fame ceremony. This year’s event will be held at the high school commons with a social beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the ceremony commencing at 6 p.m. This event is open to the public. The guest speaker for the evening will be 1960 BHS graduate Jim Campbell — Former CEO of Wells Fargo Bank and Dean of the Carlson School of Management.
CoachAllen Gilman
Former Coach Allen Gilman will be part of the 2024 group of inductees. Before starting at Byron, Gilman coached track at RCC before taking on a cross country and track position at John Marshall. In 1988 he took over as the head girl’s track and field coach at Byron High School. In 1989 he led his squad to the school’s first state championship. With a strong group of returning lettermen, his teams also captured the 1990 and 1991 state championships for track and field. In his twelve years of coaching at Byron, his teams won two conference titles, sub-section and section titles and were the True Team Section Champions in 1990. During his tenure as coach, Byron finished in the top three of every HVL Conference meet. Gilman coached three relay teams and 30 individuals in the state meet. His athletes earned 22 state gold medals and claimed five state championships in individual events and three in relays.
Mike Hodgson
A Byron graduate in 1968, Mike Hodgson excelled in five different sports. He played varsity football for four years and was tri-captain and won the top defensive player award both his junior and senior years. During those four years the Bears were conference champions twice. Hodgson played basketball during his sophomore and junior years but switched to wrestling when it began during his senior year. Despite being a rookie wrestler at heavyweight, he placed second in both the Wasioja Conference and the District 3 meets.
In the spring Hodgson played both baseball and competed in track. The baseball team won the conference title in his senior year and was District 3 runner-up. He lettered all four years in track. During his senior year the Bears won the Wasioja Conference championship and Hodgson was the shot put champion. He also belonged to the FFA and was Homecoming King. After high school he played football at Waldorf College where he played both offense and defense.
Eric Yngsdal was a 2008 BHS graduate and excelled in both football and wrestling. In his junior year he scored 17 TDs and won the Bear’s MVP award and was All-Conference. As a senior he scored 15 TDs, was co-captain and All-Conference. He had two games where he carried for over 200 yards. He is the second leading rusher in BHS history.
While Yngsdal was successful in football, he excelled at wrestling. He was a 6-time letter winner and a five -time state tournament participant. As a 7th grader his record was 24-2-0. He earned HVL All-Conference honors and was 2nd at the Section 1A meet and ended the season with a 30-9-0 record as an 8th grader. As a 9th grader he again was 2nd at the section meet and returned to state for a second time. During his sophomore year, he was tri-captain, won the team’s MVP award, was All-Conference, Section Champion and went to state again. During his junior year he was co-captain, team MVP, All-Conference, Section champion and took 3rd at state.
His senior year he again made it to state but became Byron’s first state champion while setting a school record with 44 wins and only 2 losses. He was MWCAs Academic All-Star and Guillotine Academic All-State in his senior year. His high school overall record was 192-32-0. His success continued after the season was over as he won the ASICS/USA 2008 Triple Crown.
Laura (Huntoon) Threinen
Laura (Huntoon) Threinen graduated in 1996 and had been a three-sport athlete during her years in Byron. She competed in volleyball, gymnastics, and track. She lettered in volleyball and was co-captain her senior year. That year, the team was the Sub-Section 3 champion and Section 1A runner-up.
Threinen competed in gymnastics for 6 years. She was All-Conference her freshman year through her senior year. She was also captain her junior and senior years. As a sophomore she was 2nd at the conference meet and 4th at sections. The next year she finished 3rd at sections. As a senior the team was 2nd in the conference and 2nd at section. At that meet she qualified to go to state and earned All-State honors.
In track, Threinen was a 5-year participant. She earned All-Conference honors from freshman to senior years. In conference meets she continually scored in the top 3 in the 100m runs and the long jump. In her junior year the team earned the sub-section championship. In her senior year she was 2nd in the 100m hurdles and the long jump at the sub-section meet and the team placed second. As a senior she was awarded the Charles Ramthun Female Athletic Scholarship and the Outstanding Female Senior Letter Winner. She was also the BHS Homecoming Queen.
Threinen attended UW-Stout and competed in volleyball, lettering four years. She was the team captain in her junior and senior years.
Jill (Storlie) Monson
Jill (Storlie) Monson was a strong three sport athlete who graduated in 2008. In volleyball she played on the varsity team for 4 years. She lettered three years and was All-Conference her junior and senior years. As a senior, she was co-captain and won team awards for Most Kills, Most Digs, Most Ace Serves, and Most Ace Blocks. When she graduated, she held school records for Most Blocks, Most Career Kills, Most Season Kills, and Most Season Digs. She went on to play five years of volleyball at MN State University in Mankato.
In basketball she was a three-time letter winner and All-Conference selection and Byron’s Most Valuable Offensive Player. She served as co-captain in her junior and senior years. She received All State Honorable Mention as a senior. She scored 1,204 points during her career which was 5th all time. Her 824 rebounds ranked her 3rd all-time, and her 207 blocks also ranked 3rd.
In track, Monson competed in discus, long jump, and triple jump. Even as a freshman she was scoring team points at subsection and advanced to the section meet. As a senior she received the Most Improved Award. As a senior she took 3rd place at the conference meet in discus and 2nd place at the sub-section meet in shot put and was the discus champion. That year she was also awarded the Outstanding Female Senior Letter winner.
1990 Byron Football Team
The 1990 Byron Football Team played their last game of the year in the HHH Metro-Dome losing 14-10 to the eventual state champion. Many people did not expect them to advance that far. After losing many seniors from the previous year and returning a somewhat undersized team, many thought it would be a down year for the Bears. However, the players didn’t feel that way. They worked extremely hard all summer lifting and training for the season. The coaches assessed the talent and revised the game plan to make the most of their abilities. Rather than being a grind it out team, they came out throwing the football. Some players even agreed to change positions to accommodate the new strategy. Their “never give up” attitude would benefit them throughout the season. They ended up 5-2 in the conference and then moved on to the play-offs. The many close games during the season prepared them for a long run in the play-offs. They beat Hayfield 27-8, PEM 27-13 and got by Pine Island 41-30. They then had to take a long road trip to Luverne for a quarter-final game. Despite falling behind in the first half, the Bears roared back in the second half and won 21-14. This qualified them for a trip to the Dome. A heart-wrenching loss to the eventual state champions didn’t diminish the memories of a great season and the lifelong memories of teammates.